The concept that brain cognition is synthesized from matter remains unproven in both theory and experiment. We believe our brains possess cognitive abilities due to the synthesis and movement of matter, but this is, as of now, merely speculative. Is there any mathematical theory that can demonstrate the creation of a brain model from matter that exhibits cognitive power? No such experimental evidence exists to date.
Some people attribute cognitive abilities to AI and computers. However, AI lacks true cognitive abilities; it possesses only computational capabilities. Thus, both theoretically and experimentally, it is currently impossible to create a brain with cognitive abilities, or in other words, to create life. If we were capable of creating a brain with cognitive abilities and could confirm its artificial origin, then Buddhism would be disproven, and materialism would be validated, suggesting that life could indeed emerge directly from the combination of material movements. Such a discovery would be monumental, yet it has not occurred.
Many believe that the union of sperm and egg instantly results in cognition, citing it as evidence that matter can produce spirit. However, this is not a valid proof. Common belief holds that when parents conceive, and sperm and egg unite, the fetus begins to exhibit cognition. We consider sperm and egg to be inanimate, but their union, facilitated by the mother’s womb, supposedly gives rise to spirit. This, however, cannot serve as proof. Why? Because the fusion of sperm and egg may simply be an outward expression of consciousness cognition. This stance challenges materialism’s view.
What does this mean? Materialists argue that life and cognitive abilities arise from the combination of sperm and egg. Buddhism disagrees, explaining that this is merely a display of the Alayavijnana. In layman’s terms, at conception, consciousness enters the embryo, essentially overlapping the individual’s Alayavijnana with that of the parents, as manifested through the sperm, egg, and womb. The notion of consciousness entering the embryo simplifies the concept for general understanding; in reality, consciousness does not enter the embryo in such a manner.
We must not conceptualize ‘Alayavijnana’ as a physical entity, like the shadowy forms depicted in films or as a mist that emerges from a person upon death, buzzing and flying about, or absurdly, seeing someone pregnant and ‘bang’ diving in, known as a ‘walk-in.’ Nor is it correct to imagine seeing parents in intimacy and then ‘bang’ diving in.
During the intermediate state of rebirth, the individual may indeed perceive impressions of Alayavijnana, but not as consciousness entering in such a literal sense. The rebirther’s Alayavijnana may present a vision of the parents in union, leading to a preference for the mother and rebirth as a son, or for the father and rebirth as a daughter. If one prefers the mother but is destined to be reborn as a girl, ‘bang,’ they become a boy, with imaginable consequences.
This phenomenon can occur when individuals excessively love themselves. For instance, bodybuilders or women who frequently admire themselves in mirrors, applying makeup and loving their reflection, are engaging in a form of meditative reflection, favoring their own body (the same sex body) over the opposite sex body.
Women should naturally favor their father’s body, but instead, they may favor their mother’s body due to familiarity with their own form. Upon encountering a curvaceous body with an S-shaped waist and slender legs, they may find it beautiful, leading to envy if they encounter a woman with such features. This envy, based on past life preferences, can result in a woman being reborn as a male fetus. Such cases are not uncommon.
However, this should not be seen as an obstacle to learning Buddhism. Even those who have made far graver errors can still pursue Buddhist teachings.
Therefore, the fusion of sperm and egg is merely one possibility, an external manifestation of the Alayavijnana preceding the next life. This understanding of rebirth within consciousness cognition does not equate the union of sperm and egg with the production of consciousness.
Just as consciousness cognition uses the eyes to produce vision, the union of sperm and egg may be an outward expression of consciousness cognition. We cannot use the mind to see; if we could, it would be extraordinary. Even Stephen Chow humorously alludes to this in ‘A Chinese Odyssey,’ where the Monkey King seeks to know what Zixia did in his heart, looking with his mind rather than his eyes, discovering that Zixia shed a tear within his heart. Of course, this is fictional, meant to entertain the audience.
In truth, directly perceiving all dependent origination with the mind is beyond our capability. Only the Buddha can achieve such a feat; our minds are too distorted. We are constrained to perceive through the eyes, limited by space and time.
Excerpted from: Cognition and Expression Part Three
